Tag: tree

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Polychrome tree

Maybe it is just a matter of taste whether you prefer a tree polychrome i. e. in full colors in spring or more monochrome during winter in almost black against a white background. Others might argue that it is not a singular version or time of the tree’s growth cycle, but the steady change. In any case the same tree never looks the same before and after rain. The only certainty is “the times are a changing”, so do our preferences. They are changing as well from time to time. Few persons have similar preferences over the life course and business, marketing and societal changes drive such changes. Often we hardly notice them. Trees are a perfect point of reference to check your personal preferences. Our smartphones track our preferences just by analyzing frequencies of photos taken over months or years. They have a very differentiated polychrome view of us. The reasons to take ugly pictures might confuse the AI-assisted exploitation of our polychrome or monochrome preferences. 

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Fontainebleau walks

In the Fontainebleau gardens it is easy to reach your daily walking goals of 7000 a 10000 steps/day. Upon entry into the park you walk around the small lake. Towards the far end of the lake you’ll discover a long waterway which takes you beyond your usual walking distance due to the calm and great surroundings. The forests around the Fontainebleau gardens are another great walking or hiking exercise. You might find companions all along the trails. Just take enough water and food with you as there are no shops around, just you and nature. A bit of advance planning is necessary to make it a great experience. 

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Warming continues

The global warming continues to change our landscapes. Heat waves, droughts and flooding become more often. Average temperatures keep rising. The evidence from meteorological data is showing this beyond doubt. Our forest take the toll and reports document the worsening situation for many trees (Germany and Switzerland). An adaptation will take years if not decades. In the region around Paris some home owners have started or been forced to adapt their gardens to the warming weather conditions. Trees that do not support the consequences of warming die and we witness the changing of the landscape. Palm trees near Paris have survive for years by now near Paris and can grow rather tall.
Like it or not, the visual landscape will change despite the many great initiatives launched by the city of Paris to stop the warming of the city.

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Warming consequences

The live of honey bees is rather busy and well organized. Global warming necessitates new risks and new opportunities for honey bees. The flowering season starts earlier in Europe and bees start earlier ro their collection of nectar and their service of pollination to other flowers. In early April 2025 in France near Paris we observe wild bees already in their daily routine. However, the risk of cold nights is still there, albeit those building their homes below the surface are a bit less at risk during a frosty night. Seeking a clever shelter is a good strategy for survival particularly at times of global warming. Some kinds of wild bees seem to sense this already changing homes from one season to next one. Humans remain their toughest enemies as they restrict their choices quite severely. Man-made pollution and herbicides are beyond bees’ control and cause havoc in the ecosystem of bees. Apiculture is an interesting science also for social scientists as this forerunner species of the matriarchy has evolved into a well-organized productive society. They are a bit harsh to each other and communication is rather unidirectional, but an interesting social cosmos of its own kind.

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Olympics for All

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games have demonstrated the extraordinary competence, professionalism and competitiveness of all athletes. The television spectators and live participants in the events have been involved to a great deal.
After all this hype around sports let us consider the probability of getting involved in physical activities and sports. Additionally, it is of interest, whether people are encouraged to continue sports, maybe at higher ages as well through these sports events like Olympia.
High level athletes are most likely to continue their sports activities. In many countries the extraordinary athletes of the Paralympics faced tough challenges to pursue their sport interests and passion.
However, the public health challenge is the big unresolved issue of how to best raise an awareness for the pleasures and benefits of sport for the masses. (bibliography by BNF “Santé et activité physique). It is not only a matter of suitable infrastructure, but also the question of sports in your neighbourhood. This issue has implications for urban and rural communities and how they organize the practice of sports in an inclusive way. Each step may be a stepping stone into sports for all ages and pathologies.
The pleasure and benefit to walk or something simple as walking to or walking after work, are part of the solution to many public health issues.
The visitors of the Paris Olympics walked a lot.
This fun experience in an enthusiastic city will encourage many to continue the simple exercise without thinking about exercise. This will do the trick. Just do it, without thinking to much about it.

BNF Paris 2024-8
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Paris Trees

Preparing metropolitan cities like Paris for the heating up of the globe due to climate change is a huge task. As early as 2020 Paris started an ambitious greening program. 170.000 new trees by 2026 in a densely populated city is a steep challenge. With 114.000 trees planted by 2024 as the Olympic athletes and spectators gathered in Paris the city is right on track. The 2 parks “bois de Boulogne et bois de Vincennes” have jointly 25.000 new or renewed trees. The cemeteries, for example “Père Lachaise” has received new cooling trees as well. Most trees, however, were planted along the notoriously hot and overcrowded “périphérique” with 50.000. Only with the use of a Colbert-like planning exercise and rigorous implementation against even some initial resistance, it is possible to achieve this result and the ultimate objective. Visitors of the Olympic Games already experienced the differences during the summer of 2024. Detailed planning by means of a “Bilan par arrondissement” facilitates monitoring of progress. Publishing the information is part of the communication strategy to keep citizens informed and engaged in this silent transformation for the benefit of inhabitants and visitors. (Image City of Paris webpage 2024)

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Greening Brussels

We tend to believe that inner cities have lost the fight against traffic jams and climate change. However, the number of projects that stem the tide is growing and some have gained visibility beyond their immediate neighborhood. This is the case of an urban planning project in Brussels that has taken back space from urban traffic to the citizens living there. Planting new trees and a gardening space reserved for flowers changed the street into a pleasant environment where people meet and greet again rather than hold their breath and disappear as quickly as possible. Parking of cars has been reduced on the street and instead bicycle parking has become a hint towards more sustainable mobility in inner cities. Walking the city, staying and shopping nearby will allow behavioral change for healthier lifestyles. It needs a lot of persuasion to accomplish this impact and years of reaching majorities for such projects and the ability to raise sufficient resources to implement them. The additional challenge is the need to take care of the green spaces that only works with the support of neighborhoods assisting in the care and protection of the urban lungs. As the awareness to act against inner city heat and pollution increases the number of persons willing to act and devote resources as well as time for such projects increases as well. It is a long way to improve inner city health again, but these signs of exemplary projects will convince many other people that urban renewal can work to the benefit of people.

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Eco-trees

This time we thought to advance with our ecological version of Christmas. We use LED lighting and instead of advocating real horse riding we opted for the wooden replacement. We reduced the size of the tree by 27.5% to further cut down on the carbon footprint of our event. As we were all feeling pretty confident that we are on the right track now, we learned from the media reports in Germany that the trees usually grown specifically for Christmas are taking away precious land where otherwise food would be grown. Much worse is the fact that pesticides are very often applied to facilitate the production of trees. (Link to study and test results).

We know that there is a problem in Germany to be frank about environmental dangers of diesel and glyphosate, but we did not want to believe that we inhale glyphosate in our living rooms after the diesel disaster in cities. We thought trees were synonymous for nature. Far off the truth. Better check the ecological impact and risks incurred even for trees. Trust and good faith seems to be utterly misplaced when it comes to nature turned into a product.

2023 hazardous tree 🌲 is
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Trees

Looking at trees is relaxing. At least this is true for most of us. Some researchers, however, have a stressful time to sort out what it is exactly about trees that causes this impression, perception or feeling. Time to do a few studies on this issue (Lancet RM, 2023). Most likely it is the size or the number, maybe the surface or volume covered by trees that have an impact on us. Maybe it is the sequence of seasons that really causes the pleasant feeling about trees. Perhaps the fresh air, shadow in summertime or more the birds and squirrels or dogs that „inhabit“ the trees in neighborhoods that are important to us. More and more cities really develop sizable programs to care about their green spaces. In a simple cross-sectional study it seems the visibility of trees that is important rather than other effects. More sophisticated second round effects like oxygen levels or meeting points like in rural areas seem not to matter as much in cities currently. The study cited below invites us to devote more consideration to trees which we took for granted for far too long.

Ordóñez, C., Labib, S.M., Chung, L. et al.Satisfaction with urban trees associates with tree canopy cover and tree visibility around the home. npj Urban Sustain 3, 37 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42949-023-00119-8

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Altern

Wissenschaffende, wie Kunstschaffende, haben ihre Modelle. Meistens sind es abstrakte Gedankengebilde, gerne noch mit schönen mathematischen Formeln verziert. Prototypen haben ihren eigenen Charme. Forschung über das Altern hat es da nicht so leicht seine ästhetischen Modelle auszustellen. Dabei macht uns die Natur einiges vor, wie das geht. Neben dem Axolotl sind Würmer mit nachwachsenden Gliedmaßen vielversprechende Ansätze der Erneuerung im Alternsprozess. Jedes Frühjahr ist die alte Eiche eine inspirierende Quelle der Anpassungsfähigkeit. Hitze, Klimawandel, saurer Regen und Pilze hat sie jahrhundertelang bewältigt. Jedes Frühjahr freuen wir uns über die Zeichen von Vitalität und grüner Pracht. Wiedermal Schädlinge nach Trockenheit abgewehrt und Resilienz bewiesen. Wir möchten es nicht gerne hören. Sie wird uns wohl überleben, dank ihrer Kraft der Ruhe.

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Walk after Work

Walking after work is a kind of medicine. Blood pressure calms down about 30 minutes after the walk. Light exposure contributes to higher melatonin levels, which lets us sleep better. Oxygene and humidity purify the office and street dust we inhale during the day. It is largely free of charge for everybody and just needs some appropriate clothing. A rainbow is nice to admire, but it does come with some rain somewhere between the sun, you and the rainbow. The oak trees are admirable kind of trees. In spring they appear like sculptures with numerous branches out of branches. The big one on the photo below has a diameter of 125 cm, pretty senior to the others around. A flowery finish complements the walk after work in spring. As variant of the folk saying, I would suggest: Visiting your favourite tree every day keeps the doctor away. Of course I like my doctor, too.

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Quercus

“Quercus petraea” is the classification name of the sessile oak, the Irish Oak or “chêne sessile” in French, “Eiche” in German. Many European nations cherish their oak trees. It can reach the size bigger than a normal family home and they may live longer than the person who has planted it. Within less than a century, due to industrialisation, most of our more than a century old trees have been lost or used for timber wood. Therefore, it is quite unique to find a reference to a 500 year old oak tree nearby Paris. Despite a fire in this forest 5 years ago (climate change in full action) the old oak tree has survived. Birds around  keep spreading the message that it is worth to preserve nature. We could do it, if we really wanted. Now the oak tree older than the protestant revolution is a rare testimony of the stubbornness of nature to resist.

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“Balance” als Geheimnis des Alterns

Die am 13.1.2020 im PNAS veröffentlichte Studie zu Alternsprozessen des Ginkgobaums, der mehr als 1000 Jahre alt werden kann, lassen eine alte Weisheit des Alterns wieder aufleben. Die Balance bestehend aus neuem Wachstum von Zellen und dem Absterben von Zellen beschreibt den Alterungsprozess bei Langlebigkeit. Am Beispiel des langlebigen Ginkgo biloba beschreiben die Autoren den biologischen und genetisch-bedingten Alterungsprozess.  Die deutsche Wikipedia-Seite weist interessante Abweichungen zu der englischsprachigen Seite auf. Neben mehr Hinweisen auf potentielle Effekte bei verschiedenen medizinischen Indikationen kann natürlich ein Hinweis auf Goethe nicht fehlen. Hatte er doch den Baum bereits literarisch verewigt in seinem Gedicht von 1815 “Ginkgo biloba”. Kein  Wunder also, dass er Ginkgobaum in Deutschland nahezu mythische Kraft zu besitzen scheint. Vereinzelt finden sich Fanseiten des Ginkgo im Internet. Spannend ist jedoch auch der japanische Mythos um den Ginkgo. Selbst die Atombombe von 1945 hatte ein Haus zerstört, doch der benachbarte Ginko blieb erhalten und ist heute ein Denkmal der Hoffnung. Hier schließt sich der Kreis zur Alternsforschung. Wie beeinflussen soziale Kontexte, im Extremfall Kriege, die Genetik und Epigenetik? Wir bleiben dran an dem Thema.

Photo copyright: Jean-Pierre Chéreau & Roger Culos

Ginkgo Biloba, 1815 Gedicht von Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)

Ginkgo Biloba
Dieses Baums Blatt, der von Osten
Meinem Garten anvertraut,
Giebt geheimen Sinn zu kosten,
Wie’s den Wissenden erbaut,
Ist es Ein lebendig Wesen,
Das sich in sich selbst getrennt?
Sind es zwey, die sich erlesen,
Daß man sie als Eines kennt?
Solche Frage zu erwiedern,
Fand ich wohl den rechten Sinn,
Fühlst du nicht an meinen Liedern,
Daß ich Eins und doppelt bin?
File:Goethe Ginkgo Biloba.jpg